French immersion coming to BC

By Robert Williamson

Birch Cliff Public School is stepping into a new age with the introduction of a full French immersion program this fall.

Starting in September, a class of 25 children will be entering senior kindergarten at Birch Cliff  for the early immersion program, a first in the school’s 100-year history.

The program will integrate French as a second language into the students’ vocabulary from a young age.

The students will work exclusively in French in the early years and balance out the curriculum during their senior years at the JK – 8 school.

“In our early immersion program we offer one hundred per cent French instruction from S.K. to grade three,” said Kirsten Johnston, the TDSB’s French as a Second Language program co-ordinator. “80 per cent of the day is in French in grade four and then 50 per cent of the day in English and 50 per cent of the day in french in grades five through eight.”

After a full run through from kindergarten to grade eight at Birch Cliff, French immersion students would be slated to attend Malvern Collegiate, should they choose to continue in the French curriculum.

It’s a program designed to teach basic French at an age when a student is also in the throes of learning English.

In this way, the students’ vocabulary in both languages can grow together. From reading text to note taking and even class speech, the young students in the early immersion program will be required to exclusively use French.

“The French immersion program is effectively the same curriculum,” Johnston said. “It’s just that the language of instruction for students is entirely French during the parts of the day dedicated to French instruction.”

Parthi Kandavel

According to TDSB Ward 18 Trustee Parthi Kandavel, the ward under which Birch Cliff PS falls, the French immersion issue has been gathering steam for some time now.

“In February 2015, a two month advocacy was begun to get immersion at the school,” said Kandavel. “Plenty of parents made it a talking point during my (election) campaign.”

The plan of one class of 25 students at Birch Cliff PS isn’t set in stone according to Johnston. If the level of interest is right, a second class could be a possibility.

“We plan every year based on the interest and number of applications submitted by our deadline,” said Johnston. “Next year, we’ll see the interest around Birch Cliff, we’ll create a catchment for it and then at that point we will decide if one classroom meets the need.  But if two classes are necessary than we meet with the people in charge of planning to see if that is possible based on the capacity of the school, its current usage, how many kids are using the space of the English program because that’s what the school is there for in the first place.  We have to respect that so we’ll have to say we’re excited to see what happens there because we have a lot of interest down around the Beaches area and East York.”

There are plenty of questions surrounding the possibility of a second class moving into the future. As Trustee Kandavel points out, the budget will have to meet the demand.

“What do we do if next year, we have 50 or 60 kids?” said Kandavel. “Will there be space to accommodate a second class? If not, do we have to look at a portable?”

Regardless of how the school will move forward with the immersion program, Kandavel is looking forward to the curriculum’s inaugural year at Birch Cliff P.S.

“We have to wait and see what happens,” he said, “the first year is always lessons learned.”